To electrically connect a FFC to an electrical connector mounted on a circuit board, a leading end of the FFC is inserted into the electrical connector so that electrodes formed at the leading end of the FFC come into contact with contacts of the electrical connector. Because the FFC is flexible, however, it is difficult to confirm whether the FFC has been fully or properly inserted into the electrical connector.
In order to solve this problem, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9(1997)-330772 discloses a rigid cable holder. The cable holder is mounted to a leading end of a FFC to facilitate the handling thereof and to prevent incomplete insertion during attachment of the FFC to an electrical connector. In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-268904 discloses an electrical connector having a rigid housing that is separable into two halves. One of the halves is mounted to a leading end of an FFC. The halves of the housing are then engaged with each other thereby improving the tactile sensation of insertion and preventing faulty connections.
In the above-described examples, however, a continuous electromagnetic shield cannot be formed between the FFC and the electrical connector. The exposed portion between the FFC and the electrical connector is therefore likely to radiate spurious electromagnetic waves or be subject to adverse influence by external electromagnetic waves.